Troubled Times
by Dei-Dreamer
Summary: Its several years after the breakup of Team Seven. Naruto has long since left the village, and now Sakura's been caught by the Akatsuki. Will Sakura be forced to work for them, or will what she finds surprise her and make her want to stay?Possible DeiSaku


**A/N: This story was sort of an 'on a whim' thing. I didn't plan out where it would go, but i hope that what I've written so far is to your liking! I think this will either be a DeiSaku, ItaSaku, or a NaruSaku, but the last one is very unlikely. I'm a fan of DeiSaku so that may be where this ends up if i continue it soon. The very end was a little rushed because i was running out of inspiration for the very next part. I need to think some of it over a little more! xD**

_Sakura couldn't believe it. All the nights she had spent crying over him, and all the days she had roamed around searching for him, and he was here. Being who he was, she would have thought that he would have avoided this place like the plague, but now he was a part of it. Akatsuki. The name still sent chills up her spine when she remembered all it had done to her friends. Her comrades. Herself. Looking at her friend, her love, she just couldn't understand why. Why was he here? But the first thing he said to her would crush her forever, "Haruno Sakura. Get it through your head…I will never love you. I'd rather destroy you then ever care for you. Now leave, or I might do just that…" _

Sakura wasn't a weak girl, and many people knew it. Her ferocious strength and medical ninjutsu were two prime examples. But she was at her limit. Running through the forest, she was being followed by two cloaked figures. And those cloaks had red clouds. The akatsuki. She had come across them at the border of wind and fire, and had been running since. Those still alive in her squadron had been instructed to go back, while she distracted them, which had the words _suicide mission_ written all over it, but at least they were safe.

Sadly enough she knew that they were toying with her. They could have easily outrun her, but they were only following. She could see that she would be in the desert soon enough. The break in the trees several yards ahead showed it. Unfortunately, they knew it too, and wouldn't let her go there. The openness of the desert was the safest place for her to be, because of the scouts from Suna. One figure looped around her, and the other stayed on her left. But there was no way she was going to go down without a fight. She pumped chakra into her fist and swung at the one in front of her, hoping to either hit them or for them to move out of the way. Unfortunately, they did neither, and caught her fist, swinging her over their head, and slamming her into the ground. She felt the air leave her lungs, and struggled to get back up, when she was kicked into a tree. She was weak, and she knew it. She was returning to the village from another S-ranked mission when they had attacked her, and she had been running for hours, but there was no way she was going to give up so easily. She quickly scrambled to her feet as the other came up beside the first.

"Haruno Sakura. One for close quarter combat. Uses medical ninjutsu to disable her opponents, and has a superb chakra control, which enhances her so called inhuman strength. You are coming with us." The second one said in a voice she recognized in an instant from her mission several years ago to rescue the Kazekage. He removed his uniform hat to reveal the long black hair and tired onyx eyes of none other than Uchiha Itachi. Sakura growled, but knew she wasn't going to make it out of this one. She didn't ask why. She already knew. She was a doctor, and was once on the same squad as Sasuke and Naruto. But that long since ended.

Itachi watched the girl with pink hair as she fell back into a stance and attacked. She charged him first, slicing at him with her hand, which had been formed into a chakra scalpel. He stepped off to the side and kicked her legs out from under her. She landed on her hands and pushed herself towards him, managing to surprise him slightly. She twisted her body around in mid air, and cut his arm. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he grabbed out a kunai. Sakura cocked her arm back and was about to try to punch him with as much strength as she had left in her, which still wouldn't have been enough, when the other Akatsuki interfered, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back. Sakura hissed at the pain that shot through her arm because of the odd angle it was positioned in.

"Haruno Sakura, you're depletion of chakra is well noted by both of us, and you know you wont last long at all against Itachi-san. Give up and come quietly, and maybe we'll let you live if you do what we say." They said in a monotone voice, yet clearly feminine.

So this is how Sakura found herself walking alongside the very people she loathed and detested. Itachi had put a seal on her arm to stop her from manipulating her chakra, and whenever she slowed down, the other would shove her forward. They continued on like this for several long hours, before the sun finally began setting to their left. They were going south, that much was certain. "Itachi, I think we should stop here for the night. We're not going to arrive at this pace any time soon, so we might as well take a break, and start fresh tomorrow." The other said, stopping. Itachi looked over the spot they were in and back to them, and nodded silently. Sakura sighed and sat down with a soft moan. She was tired. Far more tired than either of them, so she was content with their current lack of moving.

"I will go and get some wood for a fire. We're in a relatively safe place to do so…" Itachi stated, and walked away into the darkening forest.

The other yawned uncharacteristically with the way she had been acting earlier and sat down across from Sakura, removing her hat to reveal messy shoulder length snowy white hair, and bright blue eyes that hadn't a care in the world. She smiled to Sakura and pulled out something wrapped in plastic.

"You want it? I'm not a big fan of granola bars, and you look hungry." She said, offering it to her. Sakura looked between her and the food wearily, not trusting an akatsuki, no matter how kind they seemed.

The woman nodded, "I would see why you wouldn't trust me. Hell, I wouldn't trust me either if I was in your situation. But no worries. I'm not that cruel." She said, reaching out even more so that is was practically in her hands already. Sakura took one last glance between the food and the woman with the carefree smile, and snatched the granola, devouring it mercilessly. The other's smile widened,

"See, not so hard, although you shouldn't make it a habit to trust the akatsuki. Its not that we'd go out of our way to trick or kill you, we're just looking out for number one." She said, "So, Sakura is it?" she asked.

Sakura nodded, "You used to be on the same team as Sasuke _and_ Naruto? The last of the Uchiha, and the container of the nine tailed fox?" Sakura's heart stung at the names, but replied,

"Yes, but our squad has long since disbanded." She murmured.

The woman nodded, "I heard that. Uchiha turned tail and ran when he realized that he was weak. And Namikaze left too." She said. Sakura looked at her with confusion in her eyes, "Namikaze?" The woman's face twisted into confusion as well, before 'ah'-ing,

"Sorry. Got 'em mixed up. Uzumaki was it? I get faces and names mixed up a lot." She said with an apologetic smile.

Sakura laughed, "You don't seem like someone who would be in the akatsuki, so what's the deal?" she asked. The woman's smile faltered slightly,

"You don't know me though." She pointed out.

Sakura was about to respond when Itachi stepped back into the clearing and tossed the logs into a pile, igniting them moments later with a fire style technique that had a little more energy than necessary put into it. The fire instantly began to warm them, and Sakura felt oddly tired. After a few minutes of kindling the flames Itachi then proceeded to sit down next to the woman and take out a kunai, twirling carelessly with his finger.

"I'll stay up and watch the girl. You just get some sleep." Itachi muttered.

The woman's eyes widened, "But Itachi, it isn't healthy for you to be doing this!" she exclaimed.

Itachi glared at her, "Be grateful. Would _you_ rather take watch?" he questioned. Sakura's eyes drooped as the woman answered. "How about..." and at this she glanced back to Sakura with a devious smile,

"We go with my plan instead…"

And that's when Sakura's world went black.

/

"Who the hell falls for a trick like that?" a voice said, laughing loudly.

"You do fool..." a raspy voice muttered.

"Shut the fuck up!" the first yelled.

Her eyes snapped open into the bright light. Sakura could feel the world now; revolving around her and making her feel sick again. So she closed her eyes. "I gotta agree with Kakuzu. You are very gullible. But with immortality comes the opportunity to do such I suppose…" another voice said with a snigger. That voice. Sakura remembered that voice. But whose was it?

"Damn straight." Said the first. Sakura opened her eyes to find blue eyes staring interestedly back at her, and Sakura glared at them. That face… that hair… that smile… "You!" Sakura growled, sitting up dizzily, leaning against the tree, trying to stop the spinning. "Me?" She questioned with wide eyes. Sakura stood slowly, holding the tree as she turned back to glare at those blue eyes, "You lied!" she ground out, remembering the food from earlier.

"I did no such thing. Never once did I say it was drug free? And anyways, did you seriously think I was going to ask you to eat a granola with a strong toxin made specifically to knock out another for a predetermined amount of time depending on the amount set into it?" she questioned.

"I trusted you, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the akatsuki weren't as low and conniving as they're thought to be!" Sakura growled.

The woman frowned, "Look kid, I helped you out." She said with a shrug.

"And how is drugging me going to help me?" she screamed.

"Yeah, how's that gonna help her, eh?" a man with purplish silver slicked back hair and violet eyes said with a questioning smile. He was young, despite the hair color, and his akatsuki cloak was open slightly at the front, exposing his lightly tanned skin to the light. He was attractive to say the least.

"Quiet Hindan. You have no place in their conversation." Came the voice of a certain onyx eyes Uchiha from his spot leaning against a tree, with a relatively more alive expression than what he had had before Sakura had been knocked out. This reminded her,

"How long have I been out anyways?" she asked. The one named Hindan sniggered, and the nameless woman scratched the back of her head and looked away aimlessly. Itachi answered for her,

"Three days…"

Sakura blinked. She looked at the Uchiha, then to Hindan, across to a dark looking man with glowing green blue eyes, then to the snowy haired woman who still wasn't looking at her. "You're kidding…" she murmured.

"Let me explain at least!" the woman said. Sakura nodded.

"Alright, I will admit. What I did was low. But Itachi hadn't slept in five days. He always pulls watch, even when I offer. And with you around, he would have had to worry more if you'd tried to run away. Which you would have done. Did they send ANBU after you? Do they even know that you're gone? Are your other teammates ok? Here's the thing. They aren't sending anyone for you. And you would have realized it. Tsunade, no matter how much she wanted you back, wouldn't have sent anyone after you. Anyone even remotely capable of tracking us isn't even in the village, and by the time they had come back we would have been long gone. And she knows you'll most likely be safe with us because you're a medic. No sane shinobi kills off a medic unless they refuse to work. And you would have worked because you're dedicated to your duty. But you would have been up all night wondering about it, and eventually would have tried to run. Now here's the bit that would have worried me. Itachi… can't see all that well anymore. And he wouldn't want to waste time trying to recapture you. He would have annihilated you. Not just have _killed yo_u…_annihilated _you. So that's where my favor comes in. I helped you and Itachi get a good relaxing sleep. I will admit I overdid your dosage, and for that I apologize. But now we can continue on, eh?" she said. Sakura thought it over, and found her words true.

"I still don't like it." She muttered, and the woman smiled widely.

/

Several hours later, they had stopped once again to rest at a small clearing in a relatively light space with flowers and high grass. Through most of the trip, Sakura had been asking questions, but very few received a response other than "Shut up chick! Or I swear I'll kill you!" compliments of the silvery haired violet eyed man that went by the name Hindan. She had even asked simple questions such as the snowy haired woman's name, their ages, where they originated from, specific reason for needing her, if it wasn't just to heal them in general. But each one was either ignored, or answered with an 'all in due time'. When they started off again it was at a much slower pace. "We're almost there." The woman stated, and Itachi nodded. Hindan smirked, "Finally." And that was when she saw it. The Akatsuki base, in all its murderer inhabited glory…

**A/N: Once again, i'm sorry for the hasty end. I wanted to write this to see how you all would take this if you read it. Thank you!**


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